SYSTEM FOR ELECTRONIC PRICE LABELS

Abstract: The present invention relates to an electronic device (10) for price marking where an address information, alternatively an article information is stored in the separate unit itself included in an electronic price marking system and a static information (14) of an optional label (12) is being read by an optical, resistive or similar method. The address information or article information read is related to each address, alternatively article information, in a built-in memory in each unit, for example in the form of a cross reference table containing all current information bits related to each address, alternatively article information, transferred to the unit through some medium at some specific time and which information upon reading the corresponding static information (14) is shifted out to means (11) which facilitate the visualization of this particular information.

Description: SYSTEM FOR ELECTRONIC PRICE LABELS TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to electronic price labels and more exactly to a system for fetching necessary addressing information from a label or a corresponding item which presents the static information stating the unit property by optically scanning the into the label the desired information. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Within the trade of everyday commodities there is a need of transferring information from a central data base to the edges of the shelves where related to the information the articles are situated. This will be performed e.g. to inform the customers moving around in the shop about the present price of a merchan¬ dise. This may as well be involving information directed to the staff working in the shop. Today most systems having electronic price labels utilize a display (normally a LCD) for the information frequently changed, e.g. the price, and a printed or a laser printer produced paper label for the information changed less frequently. There are systems using a display for all information but those are not related to the present system, but are incorporated under a patent SE 441 477 or U.S. Patent No. 4,002,886. In the present systems of shelf edge information of today is utilized an electrically "programmable"/exchangeable memory (U.S. Patent No. 4,002,886) or more sophisticated via the medium reprogrammable register (Patent SE 441,477) to make each display unique. This is in principal not necessary if the shelf display instead will be provided with a means for reading a unique address via an article number written or printed on a label provided at each display. Therefore there is a demand of a system for a direct sensing of a label as an alternative manner of transferring information to be displayed by a separate remote unit. All relevant information may then be transferred to all units without the use of any specific address and the selection of information to be visual¬ ized will take place within the display when a chosen label is applied. This may be used as a non-address system for transfer¬ ring information to the shelf edges from a central dataprocessor. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first object of the present invention an address information, alternatively an article information, for a separate unit in a system for electronic information presentation, e.g., for a price marking of shelf edges, is fetched from an attached label or a corresponding item which is representing a static information stating a unit property. According to a second object of the present invention the address or article information read is mapped against an stored informa¬ tion in each unit built-in memory containing all current information bits transmitted by some medium at some time and related to each address, alternatively article information, which information upon reading is shifted out to a means facilitating these information bits to be seen as a visual information. According to a third object of the present invention said address or article information for each separate unit is fetched from said label or corresponding item which presents said static information stating the unit property by optically scanning of said address or article information by a scanner by means of an optical or resistive or any other reading method or any other type of one-dimensional camera. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by making reference to the following description taken together with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. la is a front view of an embodiment of a display accord¬ ing to the present invention, Fig. lb demonstrates the static information code at the back of the optional picture label and a corresponding bar code reader in the display unit. DESCRIPTION OF AN ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT Below will be described a concrete example: A shop may be provided with a number of shelf edge displays, price boards and other devices working according to already disclosed principles having up to a number of about 5000 units. This corresponds to the number of articles in a normal supermar¬ ket. Certain of the electronic price labels are provided with a given address according to the state of the art and those will be addressed and updated on a regular basis. But to at least some units will be transferred at one or several determined occasions all of or part of the information in the price data-base on a differently addressed basis. An embodiment of such a unit 10 containing a label 12 having a static information 14 is demon¬ strated in Fig. la and lb. The information may for example be transferred in a form: <article no lxprice laxprice lbxprice lcxarticle no 2><price 2axprice 2bxprice 2c>....<stop> or in an alternatively compressed form: <database startxprice laxprice lbxprice lcxprice 2axprice 2bxprice 2c>....<stop> or a further variant: <database startxweight lxweight 2>...<stop weightxdiscount lxdiscount 2>...<stop discountxprice lxprice 2>....<stop> The important thing is that all of or a major part of the database will be transferred in some defined and compressed form to certain of the units present. Above alternative one will get for instance the size of a transfer (if 13 digit article numbers are used): (40 + 20 + 20 + 20 x 5000 = 500 000 data bits. That adds up to 50 seconds when transmitting at 10 000 bits/second. Alternative two above correspondingly will be 8 + (20 + 20 + 20) x 5000 =- 300 000 data bits. This adds up to 30 seconds of transfer time having the same transmission rate. Above alternative three correspondingly will be 8 + n x 20 + 8 + m x 20 + 5000 =~ 100 000 if n and m. This will be 10 seconds having the previous transmission rate. After that the whole data-base or a selected portion of the data¬ base has been transferred, each such price marking unit is containing the necessary information. To select which information to be visualized by a display 11, preferably a LCD, the unit 10 is provided with a label 12 stating the type of merchandise by a text or a picture or a combination of text and picture. If for example the price of green apples is to be displayed a label showing a green apple may be used. On the back side of this label there is a printed bar code 14, using for example a so called EAN-code. This printed bar code will coincide with a bar code reader 16 of the actual unit 10 and the bar code read will tell the unit in this case that it is supposed to display available information of green apples. According to the address or article information 14 regularly read off the back of the applied label 12 the proper data will then be fetched out of the information previously stored in the memory of the unit. The bar code reader 16 may be any conventional device known by a person skilled in the art, but has to be related to the power level available. Consequently an electronic price label 10 according to this system does not need any particular address related to the central processor which only transfers the needed data-base to all such units and without directing any specific unit address. In the embodiment shown in figs la and lb the unit is provided with a receiver 20 for IR communication as well as a transmitter 21 for IR communication. The unit is also provided with an optional solar cell 22 for power to the unit. The specific unit property is set forth by the code read from the actual present label 12, in the example the label presenting a picture of green apples. In the exemplifying embodiment the static information stating the unit property is read optically by a conventional bar code scanner 16 but any other type of one-dimensional camera may be used for reading the static information off a label. Preferably the display 11 is a LCD screen. In an alternative embodiment a number of such price labels are gathered into a larger panel, which for example gives a customer information of the present available fruits in the supermarket or the present available milk products etc. Such a larger panel will conveniently be powered from the electric lines, but does still need no cabling for the transfer of the data-base, i.e., price information. Immediately when a label containing the static information 14 is moved or changed the corresponding actual price information will be displayed and a central change of prices by the central computer system is still possible at any time. In the exemplifying embodiment the static information on the label defining the product is normally containing a specific tag. If a label lacking this tag is instead inserted, a special response is activated and visualized by the display. In this case special information data, if available, to be used by the staff working with the particular merchandise will be presented on the actual display.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A system for electronic information presentation, preferably for price marking of shelf edges, characterized in that an address information, alternatively an article information, for each separate unit is regularly fetched from a label (12) or a corresponding item which is representing a static information (14) stating a unit property, by means of an optical or resistive or any other reading method. 2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that said address or article information read is mapped against a stored information in each unit built-in memory containing all current information bits transferred by some medium at some time and related to each address information, alternatively article information, and upon reading said static information (14) said stored current information being shifted out to means (11) facilitating these information bits to be seen as a visual information. 3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that said address or article information for each separate unit is fetched from said label (12) or corresponding item which presents said static information (14) stating the unit property by optically scanning of said address or article information by a scanner (16) or any other type of one-dimensional camera. 4. The system according to claim 3, characterized in that said address information read is the article number of the merchandise which is visually described on the label (12) being attached to each such unit (10) of the price marking system. 5. The system according to claim 4, characterized in that said internally stored information, of which different portions will be utilized depending of the label (12) being applied, is stored as binary numbers having an accompanying tag and that articles lacking tag here activate a special response which is visualized by said means for visual information. 6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that said means (11) for visual information is a liquid crystal display.

Inventors: AHLM ROGER, AHLM, ROGER
Applicants: AHLM ROGER, PRICER AB, AHLM, ROGER
Application year: 1994
Main classification: G06F15
IPC codes: G06F3, G06K17, G07G1, G09F3